There isn’t much difference between the fool and the hero.
Both stick their head above the parapet.
The fool takes risks with little or no potential for reward.
For jest. For attention. For nothing.
The hero takes risks that have the potential to pay off handsomely. Often they won’t be the person getting rewarded.
That might mean running into a burning building, but often, that’s a fool’s errand.
It takes courage to step out of our comfort zone.
It takes more courage to stand up and demand the best for ourselves.
But the thing that takes the most courage is to stand up for something we believe in or speak out when we see a misdeed.
Nobody likes to be told they need to change. And we like it even less when we are called out for immoral behaviour—intentional or not.
When we put our head above the parapet, there is a very high risk that we will end up with an extra hole in the head.
But there’s also a chance we will make the world a better place for everyone.
That’s what real heroes do.